The present invention relates to amorphous fluoropolymer manufactured articles for optical, electronic and chemical applications.
Specifically, the invention relates to the preparation of manufactured articles in the form of selfsupported capillaries and pipes and selfsupported films having a high thickness and high purity combined with good mechanical and optical properties; the preparation of manufactured articles in the form of semipermeable membranes for separation processes such as filtering, reverse osmosis and gaseous separation. More specifically, the membranes have an improved selectivity in the gaseous separation, for example for the oxygen in admixture with nitrogen, combined with a good permeability.
It is known in the art the preparation of films having an high transmittance and low refractive index, by dissolving an amorphous fluoropolymer in a solvent, filtering the solution and then using the spin coating to coat glassy substrates having a low thickness. This procedure is described in EP 416,528, wherein as fluoropolymer, an amorphous copolymer formed by perfluoro-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxole (PDD) in amount comprised between 30% and 99% by moles and by tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), is used. The obtained films have a substantially uniform thickness in the range 0.3-20 xcexcm and have a transmittance higher than 90% at wave lengths in the range 190-800 nm. The amorphous fluoropolymers forming the above films have a refractive index lower than the glass one and such as to allow the use thereof in anti-reflex layers in optical systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,851 describes manufactured articles obtained by the amorphous polymers mentioned in EP ""528, in particular selfsupported films having a thickness in the range 100-400xcexcm, prepared by molding of the melted amorphous polymer. The so obtained films contain impurities derived from materials with which they come into contact, for example molding plates. Tests carried out by the Applicant have shown that it is not possible to obtain by a single casting process, films having so high thicknesses. With these copolymers it is indeed possible to prepare selfsupported films by casting with a thickness in the range 20-25 xcexcm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,114 confirms what said above: the films obtained by deposition from casting have a thickness in the order of 25 xcexcm; those obtained from melt have a thickness of one order magnitude superior. The obtained films can be used supported on porous substrates to form composite membranes useful for enriching and/or separating gaseous mixtures. In this patent selectivity values for the O2 and N2 from 2.0 to 2.4, depending on the PDD dioxole content in the PDD/TFE copolymer, are reported. It is shown that by increasing the dioxole content, the oxygen permeability increases but the selectivity decreases. Further data on the gas-selectivity are in chapter 22 of P. R. Resnick e W. H. Buck in xe2x80x9cModern Fluoro-polymersxe2x80x9d (1997), wherein in the case of PDD/TFE copolymers membranes in molar ratio 87:13 obtained by casting, a 5.0 value for the CO2 and N2 and 4.4 for the H2 and N2 is indicated.
In all the prior art described herein no mention is made to the preparation by casting of selfsupported hollow small pipes and/or capillaries, having the combination of good mechanical and optical properties. Neither the preparation by casting of selfsupported films with thicknesses higher than 25 xcexcm, which combine good mechanical and optical properties is reported. Indeed, when the films are obtained by molding of the melted amorphous polymer, they have a higher thickness and therefore good mechanical properties, but they have also contamination problems which compromise the optical properties of the final product.
The Applicant has surprisingly found that it is possible to obtain by the casting process from solution in a single step, manufactured articles such as selfsupported hollow small pipes and/or capillaries and fluoropolymer membranes or films having a high thickness and such as to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. Besides, the membranes obtained by using said films, surprisingly have an improved selectivity in the gaseous separation, combined with a good permeability, with respect to those of the prior art above described.
It is therefore an object of the present invention self-supported manufactured articles of amorphous fluoropolymers obtained by casting from solution in a single step, characterized in that they are obtained by the polymerization of a monomer having structure (I), optionally and preferably with a monomer having a structure (II): 
CF2=CY1Y2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(II)
wherein: Rf is a C1-C5 perfluoroalkylic radical; X1 and X2 are selected from F and CF3; Y1 and Y2 are selected from F, Cl, H, CF3, ORf; having a refractive index lower than 1.35, trasmittance higher than 90% in the wave length 300-2,000 nm, and thickness higher than 20-25 xcexcm.
The manufactured articles of the invention show good mechanical properties which make it possible their use in a selfsupported form.
In order to obtain the selfsupported manufactured articles of the present invention the amorphous copolymer obtained by the above mentioned polymerization must have a composition in which the dioxole (I) is in the range 20%-100% by moles, preferably 40%-80% by moles.
The dioxoles (I) are reported in EP 633,256; preferably 2,2,4-trifluoro-5-trifluoromethoxy-1,3-dioxole (TTD) is used.
The comonomers (II) are tetrafluoroethylene, (C1-C5) perfluoroalkylvinylethers, trifluoroethylene, hexafluoropropene, chlorotrifluoroethylene, vinylidene fluoride; tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) is preferably used.
The manufactured articles of the invention are obtained by a process comprising the preparation of a solution of the amorphous polymer in a solvent up to a viscosity such that the solution can be handled and subsequently deposited by casting in a single step on a support of a defined configuration.
More specifically, in order to obtain the manufactured articles in form of small pipes or capillaries, the so obtained solution is let flow in glass tubular supports having a predefined internal diameter. When the fluid has wet all the support internal surface, the solution feeding is stopped and the so coated support is kept under filtered inert gas, preferably nitrogen or air, so as to take away the solvent, continuously renewing the so deposited polymer surface. The glass support is then thermally treated to completely dry the polymer; after this step the support internally coated by the dry polymer is completely dipped in water for some hours. By cutting with a cutter for glass the tubular support, a part of the internal pipe of fluorinated polymer is uncovered and by a simple mechanical operation the polymer is completely taken off from the glass. Depending on the viscosity and the solvent, it is possible to obtain hollow small pipes having external diameter sizes in the mm order or real capillaries with external diameter in the xcexcm hundred order.
In order to obtain manufactured articles in the form of films, the amorphous polymer solution above described is deposited with a stratifying knife having a definite thickness on a flat and smooth support. After thermal treatment for the solvent removal a dry film is obtained. Depending on the solution viscosity and the support type the film has thicknesses in the range 25 xcexcm-150 xcexcm and shows good mechanical and optical properties.
With the above described method for films, also manufactured articles in the form of selfsupported thick membranes, optionally used on suitable supports for the obtainment of composite membranes, are obtained. To obtain asymmetrical membranes it is possible to use the phase inversion method as, for example, reported in the publication by K. Kimmerle and H. Strathmann, Desalination, 79, 283-302 (1990). According to this method, after the solution deposition, the support coated by the polymer is dipped in a coagulation bath formed by a non-solvent at a determined temperature. As non-solvents, the aliphatic hydrocarbon class having from 5 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably from 5 to 7, more preferably n-pentane, can be used.
As a support for the solution deposition by casting and subsequent obtainment of the manufactured articles of the present invention, for example: glass/quartz, polymethylmethacrylate, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polystyrene, ceramic and metal supports, thermoplastic fluoropolymers, preferably glass and polyurethane, can be used. More preferably a polyurethane support is used since it has been found that with this specific support it is possible to obtain, the conditions being equal, higher film thicknesses.
As solvents for the casting process of the present invention, (per)fluoropolyethers (Galden(copyright), Fomblin(copyright), Krytox(copyright), Demnum(copyright)), dihydroperfluoropolyethers (H-Galden(copyright)), fluorinated and perfluorinated Fluorinert(copyright) ethers (FC and HFE series) optionally containing one or more hydrogen atoms in the end groups, perfluoroalkanes and all the solvents having a solubility parameter similar to that of the employed amorphous polymer, can be used.
For the solubility parameter determination vapour pressure measurements are carried out in relation with the temperature so as to obtain the vaporization enthalpy (xcex94H0) of the employed solvent. From the vaporization enthalpy the vaporization energy (xcex94E0) is obtained:
xcex94E0=xcex94H0xe2x88x92RT, wherein T=298 K. From the vaporization energy the cohesive energy density (CED) is obtained:
CED=xcex94E0/V; wherein V=solvent molar volume. The solubility parameter is equal to (CED)xc2xd.
The (per)fluoropolyethers used as solvents are polymers containing the following units, statistically distributed along the chain, selected from: (C3F6O), (C2F4O), (CFXO) wherein X is equal to F or CF3, (CR1R2CF2CF2O) wherein R1 equal to or different from R2 is H, F, C1-C3 perfluoroalkyl.
The following (per)fluoropolyethers can specifically be mentioned:
a) xe2x80x94O(C3F6O)mxe2x80x2(CFXO)nxe2x80x2xe2x80x94 wherein the (C3F60) and (CFXO) units are perfluorooxyalkylenic units statistically distributed along the chain; mxe2x80x2 and nxe2x80x2 are integers such as to give products with boiling point generally in the range 60xc2x0-300xc2x0 C., preferably 60xc2x0-150xc2x0 C., and mxe2x80x2/nxe2x80x2 is in the range 5-40, when nxe2x80x2 is different from 0; X is equal to F or CF3; nxe2x80x2 can also be 0;
b) xe2x80x94O(C2F4O)pxe2x80x2 (CFXO)qxe2x80x2xe2x80x94(C3F6O)txe2x80x2
wherein pxe2x80x2, qxe2x80x2 and txe2x80x2 are integers such as to give products with the boiling point indicated in a), pxe2x80x2/qxe2x80x2 is in the range 5-0.3, preferably 2.7-0.5; txe2x80x2 can be 0 and qxe2x80x2/(qxe2x80x2+pxe2x80x2+txe2x80x2) lower than or equal to {fraction (1/10)} and the txe2x80x2/pxe2x80x2 ratio is from 0.2 to 6;
c) xe2x80x94(CR1R2CF2CF2O)nxe2x80x94 wherein R1 and R2 have the above indicated meaning, and n is an integer such as to give products having the boiling point mentioned in a).
The (per)fluoropolyether end groups are selected from xe2x80x94CF3, xe2x80x94C2F5, xe2x80x94C3F7, optionally containing one or two chlorine atoms, and xe2x80x94CF2H, xe2x80x94CFHCF3.
The indicated fluoropolyethers are obtainable by the well known processes in the art for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,665,041, 2,242,218, 3,715,378, 4,954,271 and European patents EP 239,123, EP 148,482, WO 95/26218.
(Hydro)perfluoropolyethers contain as end groups one or two end groups selected from xe2x80x94CF2H, xe2x80x94CFHCF3. The boiling points are in the range 50xc2x0-250xc2x0 C., preferably 50xc2x0-150xc2x0 C.
In order to further improve the mechanical properties such as bending and yield at strain of the invention manufactured articles, a plasticizer having number average molecular weight higher than 1,000, preferably higher than 3,000, still more preferably higher than 8,000 such as perfluoropolyethers, as Fomblin(copyright), Krytox(copyright), Demnum(copyright), dihy-droperfluoropolyethers (H-Galden(copyright)), PCTFE (Kel-F(copyright)) oligomers, can be used.
The fluoropolymer manufactured articles obtained with the described processes can therefore be used in all the applications where an high transmittance, a low refractive index and high chemical resistance are required.
Besides, such manufactured articles can be used as thick, asymmetrical and composite semipermeable membranes in flat, tubular form or hollow fiber to carry out separation processes such as for example ultrafiltering, microfiltering, nanofiltering, reverse osmosis and gaseous separation.
It has unexpectedly been found by the Applicant that the membranes obtained by the (co)polymers of the present invention allow to obtain a higher selectivity in the gaseous separation, even maintaining a good permeability, with respect to the amorphous polymers of the prior art, which use dioxoles having a different structure.
For the high chemical resistance and hydrophobicity characteristics due to the perfluorinated structure of the invention amorphous polymer, said membranes can be used as membrane contactors. As application of xe2x80x9cmembrane contactorsxe2x80x9d the purification of a fluid containing gaseous impurities put into contact with a side of the membrane, which can be in supported or selfsupported microporous form, can be mentioned. For example in the semiconductor industry, membrane contactors are used to obtain ultrapure water free from dissolved gases. The gases to be eliminated, differently from the liquid, pass through the membrane allowing to obtain a purified liquid. Due to the high chemical polymer resistance, the invention membranes can be used with liquid and/or aggressive gases.
When higher optical properties are desired, the amorphous polymer solution to be used for the casting is purified by conventional filtering and/or centrifugation methods. Preferably in order to further improve the optical properties, said solution is submitted to microfiltration and ultrafiltration/nanofiltration processes. This process is described in the Italian patent application MI98 A 001505 in the name of the Applicant filed on the same day as the present patent application, herein incorporated by reference, and having for title xe2x80x9cPurification of fluorinated polymersxe2x80x9d. Said purification process of amorphous polymers comprises the following steps:
a) the amorphous polymer is dissolved in a fluorinated solvent selected from those indicated for the casting process, preferably in a concentration in the range 0.1-15% w/w, more preferably 0.3-5xe2x89xa1w/w;
b) the solution containing the polymer is microfiltered by semipermeable membranes having porosity in the range 0.05-0.5 xcexcm, preferably 0.1-0.3 xcexcm, and the permeate forms the polymeric solution purified from the contaminants in suspension;
c) the permeate coming from b) is ultrafiltered/nanofiltered by membranes having porosity in the range 10-500 kDa, preferably 20-300 kDa, more preferably 20-80 kDa, and the retentate is formed by the polymeric solution purified by the contaminants in solution.
The amorphous polymer solution purified by the described process is evaporated/diluted so as to obtain the desired concentration and then used for the casting process.
With the amorphous polymers of the present invention it is possible to obtain manufactured articles by casting from solution having thickness even lower than 20-25 xcexcm. In any case, surprisingly, the obtained thicknesses are always higher than those obtainable with the dioxoles of the prior art (see the examples) starting from solutions having the same viscosity. The obtained manufactured articles have uniform surface and thickness.